Resurrection Essential to the Gospel

15 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand(A) and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.(B) For I passed on to you(C) as most important what I also received: that Christ died(D) for our sins according to the Scriptures,(E) that he was buried,(F) that he was raised on the third day(G) according to the Scriptures,(H) and that he appeared to Cephas,(I) then to the Twelve.(J) Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time;(K) most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James,(L) then to all the apostles.(M) Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time,[a](N) he also appeared to me.(O)

For I am the least of the apostles,(P) not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted(Q) the church of God.

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Footnotes

  1. 15:8 Or one whose birth was unusual

The Resurrection of Christ

15 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,[a] of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.[b]

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter[c] and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers[d] at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.

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Footnotes

  1. 15:1 Greek brothers; also in 15:31, 50, 58.
  2. 15:2 Or unless you never believed it in the first place.
  3. 15:5 Greek Cephas.
  4. 15:6 Greek the brothers.